


I had a bad dream

by Schreibmaschine



Series: Archive for my tumblr prompts [21]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schreibmaschine/pseuds/Schreibmaschine
Summary: Gavin wakes up from a nightmare. Nines calms him down and tells him about his own.
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Archive for my tumblr prompts [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954156
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	I had a bad dream

**Author's Note:**

> This was published on my tumblr @fandom-necromancer!

[Stasis alert: outside movement. Exit Stasis mode? Y/N]  
Nines opened his eyes to the dark bedroom, switching over to night mode to see Gavin sit on the edge of the mattress, visibly shaking with troubled breathing.  
‘Gavin?’ He decided on a low whisper, careful not to startle the already agitated man. ‘Is something wrong?’ He had gotten alerts during stasis before, mostly his partner turning in his sleep or snuggling closer when aware.

‘Sorry to wake you. It’s nothing. I had a bad dream, that’s all.’ Nines scanned his human. Heart rate elevated, sweating extensively, but there were signs he started to calm down. ‘I’ll just need a minute then it should be fine, not that you would understand.’  
It was harsh and was meant to hurt, but Nines caught the sign of it being Gavin’s reflex to hide his vulnerability. He always defended by attacking, throwing aggression in the way of those who wanted to help because he never knew anything different: always expecting people to turn on him and utilise any and all information to their own personal gain only. It had taken a long time for Nines to gain his trust and it would take even longer for the man to completely open up and relax around him. In moments like these, when Gavin was feeling strong emotions, he would fall back into his old habits, but Nines understood that. And he didn’t take Gavin’s words at face value.

‘We can also have nightmares. Did you know that?’  
‘You toasters don’t sleep. And you don’t dream. You told me that yourself.’  
‘Yeah, I did. Will you come back to bed? It’s warmer here and it’s no use explaining this to someone who will freeze to death eventually.’ The darkness hid his amused smirk to the back of the Detective who, without a word, laid down again on his slightly damp side of the bed.

Nines simply snaked his arms around Gavin’s hip and pulled him flush with his body. He deliberately overheated himself to make it more comfortable for the human, who in turn pressed against him. Nines breathed a few kisses at the man’s nape and took in the scent of him.  
‘Okay, tin-can, shoot. What nightmares do you have?’  
‘Pre-constructions.’  
‘In English?’  
‘It is a tool that lets androids calculate possible futures of an event. Let’s say I’m following a fugitive. Where are they headed? Can I take a short-cut? How high is the possibility of losing them? Something like that.’  
‘And how is that similar to nightmares?’, Gavin asked, lifting his hands to cover Nines’ slender ones over his now slow beating heart.  
‘Deviancy is an asshole. I can pre-construct every possible event. Logic tells me you fetched a thousand coffees from the machine, emotions tell me you will drop it and burn your hand. Logic tells me that the trajectory of the bullet won’t even get near you, emotions show me how it kills you. Every time.’  
‘Shit. How real does it feel?’  
‘How real do dreams feel? After it happened, I feel silly having worried in the first place, but when actively using the program, it’s different.’  
‘I’m sorry.’  
‘Don’t be. Just another irrationality that makes us human.’  
‘Still. But well, I guess we think the same when someone is at risk that is dear to us. That we know or even love.’

Nines pressed a few more kisses on Gavin’s shoulders and listened to all this organic intricacy in front of him. There was the beating heart under his fingers, the slow expanding of the chest, the breaths of air through his nose, the drying sweat on his skin and the occasional gurgle of his stomach. He in turn only had his whirring pump and the thirium rushing through his systems. He didn’t know how it felt to dream. Whether a nightmare was comparable to pre-constructions at all. He just knew that he was fascinated by this complex being in his arms with all that his processors were able to give. Maybe it wasn’t equal to human love, but it was all he could give. And to Gavin that seemed enough, more even. Nines didn’t ask what the nightmare had been about. It wasn’t his place and sometimes forgetting things was better than welcoming them into your thoughts to stay. Nines felt Gavin go slack in his arms again, slowly descending back to sleep, but he stayed awake, holding him and brushing through his hair. Whatever would happen, he would care for his human. And if the worst pre-constructions would eventually come true, he would be there. As long as he lived, he wouldn’t allow any harm to come their way.

**Author's Note:**

> You can prompt a story like this yourself if you want! Just head over to my tumblr @fandom-necromancer, message me on twitter @Schreibmachin4 or contact me in any way!


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